It makes rather more sense while you notice it is from the one time the US does one thing that does not make sense, within the assumption that the US is a single, concrete entity having a way of self-interest. It is simply that the idea itself is fake.
Somewhat, it is numerous completely different, concrete people in an summary, collectivist group. Every particular person of the collective has an curiosity in plundering the collective for private features. That is notably how wars are incentivizing numerous public cash to fall into non-public arms, regardless of the actual fact it prices loads to the collective.
In technique modelling, it is sensible buying and selling with as many individuals as potential so long as every commerce or group of commerce is worthwhile to you (you may even settle for a unprofitable commerce that means that you can entry a extra worthwhile commerce). And it is sensible by no means taking part in conflicts and letting your opponents take a lot of the conflicts for themselves, with a lot of the losses, except if some battle clearly places somebody as a winner takes all. However that’s the case for these scenarii solely so long as every particular person has no private curiosity apart from the collective it represents.